It is a paradoxical platitude to say that cultures differ, and yet cultures have similarities. Otherwise, what justification is there for anyone, a European for that matter, to refer to a phenomenon in Africa as "music" if the African has a different concept of the phenomenon? Again what justification is there for anyone to expect people of a different culture to respond to music the way it pertains in one's own culture?
I participated in a semiotic conference in Berlin some thirty years ago and was amused about a joke which was making the rounds at the conference: an African audience had danced to one movement (a scherzo) of a Beethoven symphony during a performance by a German orchestra and that was something unusual for the all-European participants at the said semiotic conference, hence the joke.
My silent, non-confrontational, unexpressed reaction at that time was that the conference participants did not know the philosophical underpinning of Beethoven's music, generally, and particularly as expressed in the Ode to Joy, adopted from Schiller: …Alle Menschen werden Brüder, (=all mankind are brothers plighted) although it was not a movement from the Ninth Symphony that was danced to. Beethoven would probably have been pleasantly surprised to note that his music had elicited a positive response from his remote "Brüder" for whom he did not write the said symphony; but Beethoven would probably have also been surprised that something he composed for the passive audience of a Western concert hall had found an active (dancing) audience in Africa. That is the wonderland of music aesthetics. This introduction leads to a contribution which discusses how music (therapy) seems to have no cultural barriers, depending on who uses music how, when, and where.
The djembe drum seems to fascinate many tourists to Africa who seem to love its shape rather than the music it performs and so many of such tourists patronise it and back in their home countries they hang the djembe drums in their living rooms as a memorabilia of their visit to Africa. But for some parents and children in Hong Kong, djembe drumming is an opportunity to play an African instrument and in the process also learn a few things about Africa. Some parents have voluntarily participated in the lessons while waiting to pick their children at the end of the lessons.
The djembe classes are organized for groups of between eight and twelve children as extra-curricular activities at selected venues nearest to the homes of the children and this exposes them to new playmates in their neighbourhood other than their siblings and/or regular schoolmates. Although children may opt to take an examination at the end of the course, its main purpose is to help the children to develop their psycho-motor and rhythmic skills as an alternative or in addition to other skills. The classes are taught by Peter and Daniel with assistance from Sofia who serves as an interpreter. Idy is the Senior Project Officer who co-ordinates everything.
For the past three years I have been a regular summer visitor to Hong Kong. My role has been that of an adviser. Although this role is purely advisory, new dimensions have had to be brought in because of special emotional needs of some participants.
Unlike the cognitive emphasis of most subjects in a school curriculum, music has the added advantage of being affective too, by training the aesthetic and emotional aspects of a child's personality. Observations have called for the need to go beyond the purely cognitive aspects of the djembe lessons. Some of the observations are a challenge to the two instructors who are virtuosos rather than educators.
One child is very active and outgoing during djembe classes, likes to play both solo and in his group, but when lessons are over and mom enters the room to pick her child, the child's attitude changes suddenly to one of regimented obedience. That is certainly not a happy moment for the child nor for the instructor who notices the sudden change in the child's mood. What may be happening to the child at home, judging from the way it relates to its mother?
A second child is extremely shy and cannot perform solo when asked to. The instructor notices this and systematically encourages the child to perform solo and encourages the group members to applaud their colleague's attempts. The strategy works, and the child eventually overcomes her extreme shyness. The parents notice the positive change in their child's attitude and commend the instructor for his efforts.
The djembe lessons originally meant for children, find patronage at a rehabilitation center with young adult clients. It is a means of building their self-confidence apart from the psycho-motor development it fosters. Needless to say, in many societies the world over, physically or mentally challenged persons are either shunned or discriminated against, thereby worsening their plight by painfully reminding them of their predicament. Djembe drumming offers a very rewarding experience for such clients, especially when they are encouraged to perform in public, followed by the re-assuring applause of the audience at the end of the performance.
An earlier experience may be recounted here as well: A mentally challenged client expressed the desire to take part in a djembe class. He was encouraged to join the group nearest his residential area. Apparently, because people in his neighbourhood knew his condition, they objected to his participation in the class alongside their "healthy" wards but would prefer he was put in a group of his kind. Some counselling was necessary and the "healthy" parents changed their entrenched positions. The end result was rewarding for the client and the "healthy" parents appreciated their contribution to a good cause.
Yet another instance may be recounted, this time as an invitation to readers to make inputs/contributions/suggestions: The boy will not pay attention. When asked to play a rhythm, he refuses. He is either hitting the drumhead with a sharp object thereby destroying it, or he is using the drum as a chair. At other times he is hitting other children. When he is isolated for non-cooperation, he suddenly starts drumming loudly to distract the attention of the class. Is this character trait probably a protest for being enrolled in a djembe lesson against his wish? Have the parents enrolled him in the programme as a way of getting him out of the home for the duration of the lesson, however brief, so they can have some peaceful moments in the home? Why haven't the parents told the instructor about the child's (deviant?) temperament so that together, they, i.e., parent-teacher, may plan a common therapeutic strategy?
Some of our clients are golden children, i.e., the only child of their parents and although the parents may have enrolled them in the course for genuine reasons, it is again an opportunity for music(therapy) to offer such a child a unique opportunity to interact with other children through the medium of African drumming which is predominantly group performance. This reality is relevant in a super modern city with its high-rise buildings within which many children are confined or "locked up" either viewing television or video or else playing computer games. That is how modernity can, and may, "dehumanise" an only child when dad and mom are out all day long chasing wealth presumably to make the child happy by erroneously imagining that the numerous and expensive toys are all that a child needs to be modern/human/happy.
Hong Kong is a modern city by all standards. There are music shops where pianos and other Western instruments are sold. Needless to say, many homes have pianos and parents encourage children to play such instruments for various reasons. Although Hong Kong is gradually being re-integrated into mainland China, some of the people of Hong Kong are migrants who have, and still cherish, their roots in mainland China. China has its traditional music which is interesting in its own right. Why then would/should anybody recommend African music or for that matter djembe drumming for use in Hong Kong?
The same question may be asked as to why anybody would/should recommend European music for use in Africa against the rich traditional music background of Africa if not for imperialistic and sometimes economic reasons? No African who knows and enjoys traditional music is attracted to the rather "simplistic" rhythms of European music. But certainly there is something in European music which appeals to Africans; certainly there is also something in African music which has useful educational and therapeutic elements for use in some of the situations described above. The single rhythmic patterns of most African instruments of the percussion family are easy to play even if the resultant combinations of the different rhythms create the poly-rhythms and cross-rhythms for which African music is known.
A music therapist in Africa may use a Western sonata or symphony to improve the attention span of his clients or else use Western music (piano) lessons to foster perseverance in his clients among many other therapeutic interventions for which Western music may be unique. But a Western music ensemble (string/brass quartet) cannot be used in lieu of a djembe ensemble for young children between the ages of four and twelve. If anything, only an Orff Schulwerk can achieve that. But that is an adopted African practice. So, Hong Kong knows better—be originally African.
An African audience dances to a movement (scherzo) of` a Beethoven symphony; Chinese children in Hong Kong enjoy playing African (djembe) drums. Does the music therapist have enough ethnomusicological training to live up to the above challenges? Emic or etic comments and contributions are hereby solicited.
Kofie, Nicholas N. (2007). Music Therapy Without Frontiers. Voices Resources. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from http://testvoices.uib.no/community/?q=colkofie031207